Katara's Plan
by samtana
Summary: Katara has to bid Aang a proper farewell before he fights the Fire Lord. But her reasons for doing so might not be what you expect.


People have been a little... perturbed by some of my ideas. I haven't treated either Aang or Katara all that well in the last two serious fictions I wrote. So here's something more conventional for you all, Kataang and everything. Enjoy.

I don't own avatar. I'm working on it.

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Katara's Plan

"Thanks, Sokka. You've been really helpful." Katara kissed her brother's cheek and stood up, listening to the popping fire. "It's good to know you can be mature about these kinds of things every once in a while."

"No problem," Sokka smiled back. "I can be mature whenever you need my advice. Goodnight."

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Aang looked out over his friends, his awkward group of friends roped together from the destitute South Pole to the richest family in the Earth Kingdom to the most powerful family in the Fire Nation. Sokka and Suki, arm in arm, looked back at him with a mixture of worry and excited anticipation. Toph wore a normal blank stare. She clung to Zuko atop Appa, the bison's golden armor shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

"I thought Katara was going with you, Zuko," said Aang.

"We talked it over last night," explained Sokka. "It doesn't make much sense for the blind earth bender to try and stop the airships, seeing as, well, they fly in the air."

"How are you going to make it up to the ships if you get there too late?" asked Aang, scratching his head.

"I tied a long piece of mountain climbing rope to my boomerang," said Sokka proudly. "We can all climb up on that."

Aang nodded and forced a smile. "That makes sense. Good thinking, Sokka."

"You ready to kick some Fire Lord butt?" shouted Toph from her perch.

Aang smiled widely. He was enjoying this moment with his friends, even if it was to be the last one. Soon he would be face to face with the baddest man on the planet, a lifetime's worth of skills to be his lifeline. He tried not to think about it, and he was good at not thinking.

"Good luck, Aang," said Suki, bowing. Aang returned the gesture.

"I'll see you when you're Fire Lord!" called Sokka to Zuko as Appa flew away towards the royal palace, Azula presumably waiting for them there. Momo chattered anxiously from Aang's shoulder as he watched Appa go.

Aang waved goodbye and turned to face the three remaining friends. Sokka and Suki had already mounted the bird horse.

"Come on, Katara," called Sokka. "It's time to go!"

"Just one second!" Katara shouted back, not turning her gaze from Aang's soft gray eyes.

"Go on, Katara," said Aang with a sad smile. "We'll win today. Don't worry."

Katara's lips didn't let him finish the sentence. Only afterwards could he process her walking over to him, folding her arms around his shoulders, and pushing her lips to his. He wasn't sure what to do at first, then fell easily back into the motions he had planned so many times in his fantasies, drawing her closer with arms around her back and pressing softly into her warm, moist mouth.

She released the embrace and they caught their breath, foreheads pressed together.

"Katara," whispered Aang, looking up into her mystical eyes. "I thought you said you were confused."

"I can't stand the thought of losing you," Katara whispered urgently. "I would never forgive myself if something happened and you thought I didn't feel this way about you."

"Katara," whispered Aang, the name muffled as he buried his head in her shoulder. She pulled him tight.

"We have to go now," she whispered.

"I know." Aang reluctantly tried to let her go, but pulled her back and gave her one last goodbye kiss. Then she mounted the bird horse and the three rode off towards their possible doom. It was an incredibly empty feeling, watching Katara grow smaller and smaller, unstoppably out of sight. This emptiness was nothing like the sudden realization that the Air Nomads had all disappeared. He opened his glider and flew off.

The bird horse galloped toward the Fire Nation fleet, Suki in front on the reins, Sokka staring at his sister, Katara staring off into the distance as if she didn't notice.

"Okay, that I didn't expect," said Sokka, trying to get the conversation started.

Katara didn't want to start a conversation. She was busy gazing across the open field.

"After what you said last night," said Sokka, "I never thought you would, um, kiss him."

Katara still didn't face her brother, but she did speak. "His mind needs to be at rest," she said solemnly. "He has a lot to think about and I don't want him to wonder about my feelings for him in the middle of a battle."

"But you lied to him," said Sokka. He was shocked. "I thought you don't, you know, love him. I mean, that way."

"Not yet," said Katara. She looked up towards the sky, a deep redness starting to sink in, announcing the arrival of the comet. "But I will," she continued. "I know I will. I realized that while we were talking last night." She laughed to herself. "Right now I only love him like a little brother."

"Right," said Sokka with a furrowed brow, trying to make sense of her logic. "That's what you said last night."

"But that's bound to change someday soon," she said, looking at him for the first time since the ride began. She was smiling. A clean, confident smile. "I can already see him growing up. It won't be long before he's not a little kid anymore, and I won't be able to help but fall in love with him. I can feel it. I'm already so close."

"I guess," said Sokka, still not getting it. "You can plan to fall in love? And with the first guy around your age you ever meet?"

Katara laughed. "You fell in love with the first girl your age you ever met."

The bird horse hit a bump and Suki was nearly thrown off. She sputtered a hasty apology, blushing all the while, and returned to watching the reins.

"I just want to be sure you know what you're doing," said Sokka. "You just gave your heart to him, you know."

"I know," Katara said, turning her gaze back to the reddening sky. "And I can't think of a better place to keep it safe."

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I used the right number of K's in Zuko's name, right?

This is my second solution to the Ember Island Players Kataang Problem (first solution is "Confusion"). The general solution is "Katara is just trying to avoid a relationship with Aang while he should be thinking about the war." This can work. There are other solutions, too. Send me them if you have your own. It's an opportunity to stray from the canon and stay Kataang. Please, this question haunts all my waking moments.

-samtana


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